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Ravichandran Ashwin is all set for what he revealed will be his final World Cup campaign for India. The last few years have been surprising for the veteran spinner in white-ball cricket. He was a last-minute addition to the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup squads after Washington Sundar failed to make it through while he replaced an injured Axar Patel in the eleventh hour for the 2023 ODI World Cup. And despite just four appearances in the format in the last six years, two of which happened last week, 20 months after the other two, Indian team management has backed the experience in Ashwin for the big tournament at home. But ahead of the World Cup, the legendary bowler was savaged on social media by a former India cricketer, calling him “fool” and “unfit”.
As frustrated ardent cricket fans waited through the evening for a positive weather update from Guwahati, where India were to play England in their first warm-up game for World Cup, ex-India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan left them fuming after he launched a scathing attack on Ashwin on X (formerly known as Twitter) alleging that the offie only has so many wickets in India because the pitches have been doctored to favour him. He also called him a liability.
Sivaramakrishnan’s tirade began when a post was shared on the social-media platform highlighting the commentators who would be part of the World Cup. The 57-year-old responded to it saying “not one genuine spinner in the commentary panel” and called it a “pathetic mix”.
When he was further pointed out that former West Indies player Samuel Badree is in the list of commentators as well, Sivaramakrishnan responded saying: “West Indies are not even playing, who is he representing, what logic.”
However, the discussion took a sharp turn when one of the posts reacted by saying that the pitches in India are prepared flat because Indian batters cannot face spin. It was then that Sivaramakrishnan began his brutal attack on Ashwin saying: “Indian batsman [sic] are struggling against spin because the pitches in India are doctored for Ashwin in Test matches. Look at his record in SENA Countries.”
In response, one of Ashwin’s fans argued saying that he is a better spinner than Sivaramakrishnan. Ashwin, who will be playing his third World Cup campaign this year in addition to his 2011 and 2015 appearance, has 489 wickets in 94 Tests and 155 wickets in 115 ODIs. Sivaramakrishnan, on the other hand, who featured in the Indian team between 1983 and 1987, played nine Tests to pick 26 wickets, along with 16 ODI appearances where he picked 15 wickets.
Sivaramakrishnan responded to it saying: “Any fool will get wickets on tampered pitches in India.” He continued in a separate comment, “Go straight from the airport to the ground and tell the ground staff what areas to tamper, I have seen with my own eyes several times.” He further called Ashwin “unfit” and a “liability fielder”.
Ashwin was expected to be seen in action in the warm-up game on Saturday before rain washed out the match without a ball being bowled. India will play their final warm-up game on October 2 against Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram.
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